AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 17, 1994
OPINION
Keep Farm Families Safe
Some good news and some bad news can be reported about
farm safety. The good news is that accidental deaths of farm resi
dents have decreased the past ten years. But the bad news is that
in the most recent national report of 1993, the number of people
killed in farm related accidents increased to 2,400 from 2,200 in
1992.
In Pennsylvania, 48 farmers lost their lives in 1993, in 1992 47.
In all, 624 farm fatalities have occurred in Pennsylvania since
1980. Thfc numbers arc remarkably consistent over the years.
This week the nation turns attention to the safety of an industry
that harbors some of the bleakest statistics relating to injury and
death on the job. National Farm Safety Week runs from Septem
ber 18 to 24. But Maryland’s Governor William Schaefer pro
claimed farm safety week to be September 11 to 17.
“People engaged in agricultural production face high risks of
occupational injury,” Gov. Schaefer said. “But with a little care,
many injuries and deaths caused by farm related accidents can be
prevented.” •
Charles Wille, president of the New York Farm Bureau said
farmers need to work at making agriculture safer because their
families and the state's 18 million consumers are depending on
them. “During National Farm Safety Week as well as throughout
the entire year, Farm Bureau is urging the state’s farm families
and their farmworkers to farm defensively,” Wille said. “In parti
cular farmers should make sure their equipment is serviced and
that all safety guards are in place. In addition farmers should take
regular breaks to avoid getting over-tired, and they should avoid
unnecessary risks.”
The National Safety Council reports that agriculture is the
nation’s most hazardous industry, with a work death rate 22 per
cent higher than the second most hazardous industry, mining and
quarrying.
Dennis Murphy, professor of ag engineering at Penn State says
this means farming is not keeping pace with other hazardous
occupations in improving its safety record. “The impact of per
sonal injury and suffering is impossible to measure,” Murphy
said. “But the costs of agriculture-related fatalities across the
country run into the billions of dollars.”
“Quite often, a little common sense can prevent serious mis
haps,” said Lewis Riley, Maryland ag secretary. “For examply,
most farm equipment accidents can be prevented by taking time
to review safety precautions in the operator’s manuel. In addi
tion, it is important to keep all children and the elderly away from
hazardous machines.”
Farm families should examine all areas of their operation for
places of potential danger. By taking corrective action, most acci
dents can be avoided. We want to keep all our farm families safe.
Farm Calendar
■Salui'da\, September 17
Organic Country Fair, Pennington,
N.J., thru Sept. 18.
PASA Field Day, Organic Rasp
berry Culture, Jean Nick,
Kintnersville.
Family Fun Festival, Joßo Hols
tein Farm, John and Bonnie
Hess, Gettysburg, 10 a.m.-2
p.m.
Ninth Annual Dorset Field Day,
The Perry Farm, Whilehouse
Station, NJ., 1 p.m -4 p.m.
17th Annual Days of the Past,
Washington Crossing State
Honey Harvest Festival, Hashaw
ha Environmental Center,
Westminster, noon-5 p.m.
Ovcr-Thc-Hill Horse Show, Engl
ish and Western (adults only),
Hunter Hill Stables, Coventry
ville, 9 a.m.
Fertilizer Institute’s 1994 World
Fertilizer Conference, The
Westin St. Francis, San Fran
cisco, Calif., thru Sept. 20.
Gratzftir^mzMhn^ept^4.
Reading Fair, Reading, thru Sept,
24.
1 '
Beaver Community Fair, Beaver
Springs, thru Sept. 24.
Milk Marketing Inc. Fall District
Meeting, District 3, Local 2,
Berlin Fire Hall, Berlin, 7:30
p.m,
Schuylkill Conservation District
meeting/picnic, Schuylkill
County Fairgrounds, Summit
Station, noon.
Tuesday, September 20
Ephrata Fair, Ephrata, thru Sept.
24.
Harmony Grange Fair, Harmony,
thru Sept. 24.
Beef Pasture Walk, William Pear
sall and David Hendricks,
Macungie, 6:30 p.m.
N.Y.-Pa. Pasture Tours, Painter
Dairy and Beef Farm, Elkland,
10 a.m.-noon.
PAS A Farm Field Day, Abram and
Sherry Ziegler Farm, Limes
Dclmarva Broiler Housing and
Flock Supervisors Conference,
Dclmarva Convention Center,
Delmar, Md.
Bloomsburg Fair, Bloomsburg,
thru Oct 1.
To Attend
Northeast
Poultry Show
The Northeast Poultry Show
will be held September 28-29 at
the Lancaster Host Resort, Route
30 east of Lancaster.
Educational programs are sche
duled for both mornings. Topics
include biosecurity, flies, quality
management, environmental prop
osals, and Salmonella enteritidis.
There is a registration fee for the
morning programs. Both after
noons from noon to 5 p.m. the
exhibit hall will be open. More
than 100 exhibitors will be show
ing the latest in poultry equipment
and services.
Admission to the exhibit hall is
free. In addition, on Wednesday at
2 p.m., Dr. David Henzler, USDA,
will discuss effective rodent con
trol. One pesticide credit in categ
ory 4, 11, or 15 will be given for
people attending this session.
On Thursday afternoon at 2
p.m., Dr. Jim Arends, North Car
olina State, will be discussing dar
kling beetle control. One pesticide
credit in category 4, 11, or 16 will
be given for people attending this
session.
Plan now to attend the largest
poultry trade show in the North
east. More information is available
by contacting the Pennsylvania
Poultry Federation, 500 Progress
Avenue, Harrisburg, (717)
652-7530.
To Beware Of
Silo Gas
Silo filling is in full swing and
with it comes the hidden danger of
silo gas. Silo gas is formed by the
natural fermentation of chopped
forages in the silo.
Nitrogen dioxide is the major
gas formed in a conventional silo.
This gas is characterized by a
strong bleach-like odor and low
lying yellow, red, or dark brown
fumes. It reaches a peak about
three days after filling and quickly
begins to decrease shortly thereaf
ter especially if the silo is
ventilated.
After three weeks it is unlikely
that any more gas will be formed.
However, some may still be pre
sent if it was trapped and unable to
escape the silo.
Nitrogen dioxide is dangerous
because it causes severe irritation
to the nose and throat and could
cause inflammation of the lungs. It
is especially dangerous because
low-level exposure is often accom
panied by only slight irritation or
pain.
Although death may occur
immediately, a farmer could
Workshop Scries On Computers
and Record Keeping, Lancaster
County Farm and Home Center,
1 p.m., also Oct. 20 and 27.
(Turn to Pag« A 39)
breath the gas without any imme
diate serious symptoms and then
die in his sleep hours latter from
fluid collecting in his lungs. Many
victims have relapses one to two
weeks after the initial exposure
with symptoms similar to pneumo
nia. If you are exposed to the gas, it
is critical that you seek medical
attention.
To Enter
Silos Safely
Ideally everyone should avoid
the silo during the critical period
when gases are forming. Since this
is not always possible, follow
these safety rules:
1. Level off the silo immediate
ly after filling. Silo gases build to
dangerous levels in 12 to 24 hours
after filling.
2. Keep the blower running at all
times when working in the silo.
4 7 •# '’ V ~
BY LAWRENCE W ALTHQUSE I
IBQDBIL!!!
WHEN GOD SAYS
"SHOUT!”
September 18,1994
WHEN GOD SAYS "SHOUT!"
September 18. 1994
Background Scripture:
Joshua (r
Devotional Reading:
Psalms 149
If, during the Desert Storm war
against Iraq, President Bush had
sent a directive to General
Schwartzkoph saying, “God has
told me to instruct our forces to
circle Baghdad and march around
it once a day for six days and se
ven times on the seventh. .I
doubt that the general would have
obeyed his Commander-in-Chief.
And if that order had been made
public knowledge, the President
of the United States would have
been laughed out of office.
Why? Because, although many
people in this country believe the
Biblical account of the Battle of
Jericho in Joshua 6, they do not
expect God to work in that same
way in our world today. Not even
the most literal-minded interpre
ters of the Bible would castigate
our President for failing to follow
such a “revelation.”
One way of rationalizing the
difference between Biblical times
and our own times is called “dis
pensationalism” the theory that
Biblical times were of a different
dispensation or order than now. In
Biblical times, so this theory goes,
God worked directly in the world.
In our dispensation, he does not.
This is a rather clever rationaliza
tion, but there is no Biblical or
creedal basis for it.
QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS
So, the story of the Battle of
Jericho leaves a lot of intriguing
questions; did the battle really
happen this way or is this simply
an imaginative retelling of the
story? Did these things really hap
pen in Biblical times but are no
longer possible in our own? Why
doesn’t God work in our world
that way today? And how can a
person today know when God has
told him or her to do something?
I don’t have the answers to
these questions, but I think there
are implications that are just as ap
plicable today as they were when
Joshua was first written. God has
given us the power of reason and
he expects us to use it. In John’s
gospel Thomas is not berated
when he doubtfully questions Je-
Run the blower 20 minutes before
entering the silo. Make sure the
blower is blowing air into the area
you are working and not just across
the top and down the chute.
3. Keep the silo room well venti
lated for three weeks. Since silo
gases are heavier than air, they
may come down the chute and
settle in the silo room.
4. Wear a self-contained brea
thing apparatus when entering the
silo during the danger period. This
is the only breathing device that is
certain to protect you from all silo
gases.
Now is the time to be careful.
This year we have had far too
many farm accidents. Let’s make
this harvest season accident-free!
Feather Profs Footnote: "The
only time success comes before
work is in the dictionary."
sus. Often in his teaching to his
disciples, Jesus challenged them
to think things through instead of
slavishly obeying the letter of the
law. So we are not asked to disen
gage our brains when we enter our
churches.
Still, there are times in life
when reason and clear thinking
can only take us so far. Sometimes
when we have thought our best
thoughts they do not solve our
problems. One of my recurring de
lusions in life has been the as
sumption that if one asks “why” or
“how” long enough an answer will
be given. God has answered a lot
of my “whys” and “hows,” but
there have bam some to which no
answer has been given at least
on this side of life.
ONLY SO FAR
It is then, when we have taken
our God-given intellect as far as
we can, that we must take the next
step. “Trust and Obey,” as the old
hymn puts it. There are times
when despite what reason tells us,
we must listen to and trust the
voice that tells us to do something
which reason doesn’t seem to sup
port: trust someone who has been
untrustworthy, forgive someone
who has severely hurt us, keep on
trying even though so far our ef
forts have failed, attempt what
seems impossible or at least very
unlikely.
Reason told Abraham that it
was idiocy to leave his secure
home in Haran and journey to a
strange land of which he knew no
thing. Clear thinking probably did
not encourage Moses to lake over
the leadership of the Israelites. It
was irrational to expect Isaiah to
come to the people with a message
he knew would make people an
gry. But each responded to these
challenges, not because their
minds told them it was a good
idea, but because they had an un
shakable conviction that that was
what God wanted.
There have been times in my
life when God has said to me,
“Trust me” and then told me to do
something that didn’t seem very
smart. I cannot recall that I have
ever trusted and obeyed and been
left holding the bag.
So, there are limes when, if God
tells us to “Shout!" we’d better do
just that
Lancaster Fanning
Established 195 S
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St
Ephrata. PA 17522
by
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A SrWwnan EMiprim
Robert Q. Campbell General Manager
Event a Nenwwenger Managing Editor
Cepyrlghl liaa by Uneaalcr Farming